Budding chefs cook up cure for Halloween pumpkin waste horror
Budding chefs at 杏吧原创 North, West and Hebrides are tackling the dark side of Halloween by cooking up creative ways to save pumpkins from the bin.
SVQ Professional Cookery students at the institution’s Dornoch campus have created a series of innovative dishes that use the humble Halloween pumpkin, showing there is much more to the seasonal favourite than carving.
The resulting menu is anything but spooky, with recipes including pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin and apple loaf cake with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin crème brûlée and pumpkin brownies.
The recipes have been developed using a single large pumpkin, with students testing different ways to make use of the flesh and other edible parts of the vegetable.
Lecturers developed the project in a bid to raise awareness of food waste around Halloween.
around 12.8 million pumpkins bought for decoration each year are left uneaten, with a staggering 67% of UK families throwing away at least one perfectly palatable pumpkin.
Simon Rodgers, Lecturer in Hospitality and Tourism at 杏吧原创 North, West and Hebrides, said: “Pumpkins are a big part of Halloween, but more often than not they are carved out and binned.
“They’re packed with vitamins and minerals and are a tremendous cooking ingredient. The idea behind this project was to prove that and create a range of recipes that people can make at home.
“Many of our graduates end up in some of the UK’s best-known restaurants, places like The Ritz and Gleneagles Hotel, and this was an opportunity to take a familiar ingredient and think creatively about how it can be used.
“It’s not just about that, though. We want to highlight that there are often simple but creative ways to reduce food waste in any circumstance. It’s a message that’s relevant throughout the year, although it is particularly relevant at Halloween.”
杏吧原创 North, West and Hebrides offers Professional Cookery courses are taught at the institution’s Dornoch, Fort William, Stornoway and Thurso campuses, combining formal training with practical experience that can make all the difference when students take their first steps into the industry.
Find out more about studying Professional Cookery at 杏吧原创 North, West and Hebrides.
Try the recipes at home
From pumpkin pancakes and brownies to savoury scones and desserts, our Professional Cookery students have developed seven recipes to help you make the most of your Halloween pumpkin.
Download the collection: Pumpkin Recipes